Well, everyone has to pay their bills. Unfortunately, this attempt might not work (although it has netted $37 so far). No intelligent reader would ever take this seriously. It might be more useful to focus on Kickstarter efforts that seem to be down with the community zeitgeist (and therefore raking in the pledges) but are still dodgy in some way.

Frankly... Some legitimate Kickstarters that are indeed going to deliver (or have already) have lately had quite silly entry levels, especially PDF prices. And occasionally those high entry thresholds don't even cover stretch goals. Also, unclear wording for what nets you what is on the rise again.

Light novels (a back-formation from the Japanese borrowing raito noberu) are what the pulps evolved into in Japan. They are relatively short (around 50K words) novels, usually including illustrations, but don't use the art to tell the story like manga do, typically printed on cheap paper in the A6 size (4.1" x 5.8"). While many are in the traditional SF/fantasy/horror type genres, there are also romance and erotica light novels, mysteries, and so on. Basically the full range of what went on in the pulps in the US up to the '50s or so.

(Re-done because I misread one of my sources on this. How embarrassing.)

Also, light novels frequently, but not always, end up as serials, with some getting into the tens or even over a hundred chapters. The "Guin Saga" ran 130 volumes just for the main story, with some 22 side story volumes as well.

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Why "Swords & Wizardry?"

Believe me when I say I have them all in dead tree format. I have OSRIC in full size, trade paperback and the Player's Guide. I have LL and the AEC (and somewhere OEC, but I can't find it at the moment). Obviously I have Basic Fantasy RPG. Actually, I have the whole available line in print. Way too much Castles & Crusades. We all know my love for the DCC RPG. I even have Dark Dungeons in print, the Delving Deeper boxed set, Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea (thank you Kickstarter) (edit) BOTH editions of LotFP's Weird Fantasy and will soon have some dead tree copies of the Greyhawk Grognards Adventures Dark & Deep shipping shortly in my grubby hands awaiting a review..

I am so deep in the OSR when I come up for breath it's for the OSR's cousin, Tunnels & Trolls (and still waiting on dT&T to ship).

So, out of all that, why Swords & Wizardry? Why, when I have been running a AD&D 1e / OSRIC campaign in Rappan Athuk am I using Swords & Wizardry and it's variant, Crypts & Things, for the second campaign? (Actually, now running a S&W Complete campaign, soon to be with multiple groups)

Because the shit works.

It's easy for lapsed gamers to pick up and feel like they haven't lost a step. I can house rule it and it doesn't break. It plays so close to the AD&D of my youth and college years (S&W Complete especially) that it continually surprises me. Just much less rules hopping than I remember. (my God but I can run it nearly without the book)

I grab and pick and steal from just about all OSR and Original resources. They seem to fit into S&W with little fuss. It may be the same with LL and the rest, but for me the ease of use fit's my expectations with S&W.

Even the single saving throw. That took me longer to adjust to, but even that seems like a natural to me now. Don't ask me why, it just does. Maybe it's the simplicity of it. At 45 48, simplicity and flexibility while remaining true to the feel of the original is an OSR hat trick for me ;)